Chelsea Walls
User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 4 out of 11

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  1. MatthewP
    Apr 26, 2009
    0
    Ethan Hawke obviously has no idea how to make a movie. From the beginning, I feel like I'm watching actors act, not characters in a story. The film rushes me around to several scenes and nothing from any of them sticks (the bad camerawork makes an impression though). Plus everyone is just spouting pseudo-philosophical jargon. Hasn't Hawke taken Creative Writing 101? SHOW, Don�39;t tell...This film actually made me angry. I couldn't finish it. It's the worst movie I've seen in a while.… Collapse
  2. AdamM
    Aug 10, 2007
    8
    I thought that the movie was above avg. It did have a unique plot, but some of the senes were kind of lengthy. I have been by this place on my rollerblades going to the chelsea skate park on the pier. Anyways I like the music and the art keep these movies coming. THANKS.
  3. PJ
    Jun 30, 2006
    2
    I don't understand the series of 10's this film earned in the user ratings. If a film like Citizen Kane represents a generally accepted level of supreme fillmmaking, and therefore worthy of a 10, Chelsea Walls is nowhere near that mark. In addition, the notion that anyone giving this film a poor review, is either not very bright or didn't view the film with an open mind, is rather immature. This film was recommended to me by a friend, with whom I share a similar taste in film. So, I went into this expecting to like the Chelsea Walls...but that's not how it turned out. First off, the grainy digital picture and lifeless camerawork make the visuals an absolute chore to take in. The dim interior and exterior lighting doesn't help matters any. As far as the actual performances go, there were a few actors that turned in intermittently compelling performances. However, the amount of time devoted to most of the characters is brief which doesn't allow for much development. Not only were the individual story arcs quite thin, they also failed to interweave in a manner that added anything of value to the plot line. In general, everything about this film seemed very contrived and amateurish. It plays more like a documentary than an ensemble drama. Had this been a documentary chronicling the lives of actual Chelsea residents, I would've been more receptive, and been able to take the characters seriously. Yet, it's a fictional tale of struggling artists pretentiously portrayed by established actors in somber settings. The most pressing question this film raises, is just what the filmmakers were trying to express about the Chelsea and its residents. Apparently, what was once a grand hotel that housed some of histories greatest American artists, is now nothing more than a run-down haven for aimless deadbeats who's personal problems will prevent them from ever making great art. That seemed to be the sentiment of the two cops in the film, and is what makes them, sadly, the only two characters I could really identify with. If I had to describe this film in one word, that word would be "bleak."… Expand
  4. toto
    Dec 28, 2005
    9
    I´ve just seen it (already started). I really enjoyed it and I guess that´s how it has to be; I ´ll have to accept the fact some people won´t like it... we´re all different after all. However, I´d be surely satisfied by knowing that everyone was caught by at least some fragment of it. That is, we´re all different in this world, but deep in the heart, we´re all the same. Good bye… Expand
  5. Matt
    Oct 31, 2004
    3
    A bad movie is still a bad movie, all pompous pretentiousness and teenage anxst aside.
  6. KellyW.
    Oct 9, 2004
    10
    This movie, contrary to one of the "official" reviews, DOES grab you by the throat. Whether you are a fellow "Chelsea-ite" or not, this movie expresses the human condition in a way that no one will miss. After watching this movie and living through the actors, you become part of the Chelsea in a way that is impossible to express. Ethan Hawke did a wonderful job invoking the ghosts of this beautifuly haunting hotel. This movie is the next best thing to living there. Robert Sean Leonard and Rosario Dawson bring a combined reality to all of the residents of the Chelsea--past, present and future. If you have never lived in the Chelsea Hotel, watch this movie...You'll be there next week.… Expand
  7. MattW.
    Aug 24, 2004
    10
    I think this movie shows a great deal about the human condition and our relationships. There is so much said with so few words. All one has to do is just WATCH the film and take the characters into themselves and relate it to their own experiences. No one can tell me that this isn't a brilliant film that captivates it's audience...if the audience would just give it a shot.
  8. JoshB.
    Mar 10, 2003
    10
    This is bar-none this best movie i have seen for a long time. the critics who bomb this movie obviously arent the smartest people in the world. i guess its because the movie actually makes you think and use your imagination that it somehow throws them for a loop so in return they can not understand the true meaning and beauty of this ground-breaking film. ethan hawke is the f-ing man.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
34 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 9 out of 18
  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    30
    Works equally poorly as a tourist brochure and as a drama.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    30
    Speak a great deal, but they don't have much to say. A dull ensembler.
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  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Movies like this do not grab you by the throat. You have to be receptive.
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